Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. CROMWELL: TUESDAY, SEPT. 5.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 95, 5 September 1871, Page 4

Cromwell Argus, AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. CROMWELL: TUESDAY, SEPT. 5.

Now that there seems to be a probability that the agitation for a Central Gaol for the Northern Gold-fields, at Cromwell, will be successful, it may be useful to ask, —presuming that the gaol is built and filled with prisoners,—what shall we do with them 1 In the distance we can see the quccstio vexata of the employment of prison labour cropping up ; and it is probable that, in coarse of time, it will give rise to much dissatisfaction. That which has occurred in Dtmedin and elsewhere is likely to take place here should a Gaol be established in this town.

Mr Caldwell, the Governor of the Dunedin Gaol, is earning for himself a great name among Judges, Visiting Justices, social economists, el hoc genus omne, because by an iugeuious manipulation of figures he is able to show, from his annual balance sheet, that the Penal Establishment over which he presides is self-supporting,—in fact is a profitable concern, showing an excess of revenue over expenditure, for the year, of £1736 ! The following is an extract from the annual report:—

" Out o£ the vote of £8985 10s., £3254 9s. 4<L. lias been expended on the European, and £2BOI 'Si. on the Maori prisoners, making the total expenditure £8055 12s. id., or £927 17s. Sd. less than the estimated expenditure. The value of the labour performed by the prisoners, together with the payment of the General Government on account of the Maori prisoners, and a few small niiscellaneus it; rm, amount t> £9701 l-ls. Id., showing an excess of revenue over expenditure of £l73ii 2s. 9d. The rate of wages at which the value of the work done by the prisoners has been calculated, was submitted to the Government Inspector of Works, and considered by liiia to be moderate. The labour of the European prisoners is calculated at rates varying from Is. per day in the ease of the wardswoman, to Cs. pec day in the case of painters, carpenters, and plumbers, the average being -Is. per day. The labour of the Maori prisoners is valued at a uniform rate of 2s. 6d. per day."

The examination of these figures is somewhat suggestive. Are the results obtained fairly ? and is the labour of the prisoners confined within such limits as not to be placed in competition with the labour of free and honest men '? These are questions of vital importance to labouring men whose labour is their only capital: the matter is of little consequence to capitalists and employers of labour. The rat;s at which the labour of Europeans are calculated in the above statement, —averaging 4s per day,—show at once that the free nuin (especially if lie has to maintain a wife and family, pay house rent, ceo.,) could not compete with Mr Caldwell's "industrious convicts." Much less could free white men compete with Maoris (convicted for murder and treason for the most part), whose labour is valued at 2s Gd per day. A letter appeared in the Otago Daily Times recently which has a direct bearing on the question under consideration. We shall, therefore, quote it in exteuso:

I " Sir, —In common with many other citizens, ! T was rather astonished this morning to see a | gang of prisoners hard at work on the piece of | land in Princes-street, known as the old Post | Office corner. On making, enquiries as to the | reason of their being so occupied, i ascertained that ihey were, (tie my informant put it) ' dig- | dug out the foundation f<>r a store to be erected I for one of our large wholesale linns.' Sir, I do ! think this i 3 carrying the utilisation of prison i labour a little too far ; and it has naturally excited considerable indignation among men who are unable to obtain employment, for it is simply taking the bread out of their mouths. This system of toadying to the interests of private individuals is a crying sin on the part of the Government, and ought not to be tolerated. No doubt the will 5)2 ready with aotae plausible excuao

about the earth being required., for some work they haye in prugress, wheii taxed with tbe injustice of their conduct in the present instance ; but even granting such to be the case, I maintain that it is no legitimate excuso for depriving unemployed men of the chance of obtaining work. These .underhand proceedings are calculated to bring discredit on all concerned in them, and it is to be hoped the Government will see the advisability of withdrawing the prisoners from, the work they are engaged in, and allow the firm which is interested to pay for what they require doing, thereby giving employment to men who are badly in need of it."

This throws some light on the modus operandi by which the Governor of the D lined in Gaol obtains his very satisfactory results ! By employing prison labour upon works which should afford employment to free men, the latter are often left in forced idleness, and thus placed in a position of want and temptation, which, it is to be feared, may eventually bring them iuto the "hard labour gang" themselves. This is Gaol economy with a vengeance !

We know of a case which occurred in Dimedin a few months since. A young man (who is now in Cromwell) was unemployed in Dimedin, and consequently became very " hard up." He heard that a storekeeper in Rattray-street was about to build himself a private residence in one of the suburbs, —that he wanted a man to dig out the foundations, dig a cellar, well, &c. The young man had an interview with the storekeeper, who promised him the job, and he was to be paid at the rate of 10s a day (eight hours). "Be here tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning," said the storekeeper. On Tuesday morning the young man was at the shop punctually at 8 a.m. Not so the employer. About 10.30 lie arrived, and said "You can do nothing to-day; the surveyor has not pegged out the ground ; call to-morrow." So the young man kept on " calling" every day till Saturday : there was always some fresh excuse. On Saturday evening, the unemployed man took the storekeeper to task. At length lie said, " Well, young fellow, be on the ground on Monday morning at 8 o'clock, and I will set you to work." Accordingl3 r he went. Imagine his disgust when ho saw half-a-dozen prisoners at work on the very job for which he had been waiting for a week ! The Rat-tray-street storekeeper was also "on the ground." " Good morning, young fellow," he blurted, out; " you can turn to." "Not exactly," replied the new chum ; " I did not come 16,000 miles to work with a gang of prisoners !" and he turned away in disgust. It is only fair to add that the "new chum" made the mean storekeeper pay for a week's board and lodging—(the time during which he had humbugged the unemployed free man ) The excuso made in this ; case was precisely that anticipated by the ; writer of the letter above epioted,—" the l earth was required for other work !" Had •there been a Gaol here now, and half-a-dozen able-bodied prisoners, it is not impossible that some sapient Municipal Councillor, — of the same stamp as the Rattray-, street storekeeper,—would have proposed that the kerbing and channelling of Melnioreterrace might be done by prison labour. We do not in the least degree desire to throw cold water on the proposal to establish a Central Gaol in Cromwell. Ln fact, we advocate it. At the same time, when 'it is remembered that the " public works" lof the Municipality are on a very limited j scale, owing to the comparative smallncssof i the Municipal revenue; and that there I arc numerous " hands" in the town who ; depend, to some extent, upon employment | from the Corporation, —we consider it | right (even at the risk of appearing somej what premature) to draw public attention !to the subject. A difficulty foreseen, and j boldly met, is half conquered.